In vivo generation of 'vaccination nodes' using injectable alginate hydrogels for cancer immunotherapy

[摘要] (cont.) Taking advantage of this phenomenon, the ability of the vaccination nodes to serve as a peri-tumoral local therapy against established tumors was tested using an ovalbumin-expressing B16FO subcutaneous melanoma model. When mice bearing 7-day established small tumors (-3mm2 diameter) were immunized using alginate carrying activated DCs, a mild tumor suppression effect was observed. The anti-tumor effect was augmented by supplementing IL-15 superagonist (IL-15SA) into the gels, which caused suppression of larger tumors (-20-50mm2), treated 14 days after tumor cell inoculation, and enhanced survival of the mice. In addition to showing therapeutic benefits against established tumors, the matrix-based approach allowed analysis of cells that trafficked locally near the tumor site. The ease of encapsulating factors and the injectable, non-invasive nature of the self-gelling alginate open up possibilities for use in other tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

[发布机构] Massachusetts Institute of Technology